


Firmus Piett Is Altogether Too Likable

by Mokulule



Series: Likability Conundrum [2]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Definitely more angsty than the Piett POV version, Don't copy to another site, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Humor, Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 03:03:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18065363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mokulule/pseuds/Mokulule
Summary: This is a companion piece to Luke Skywalker Is Altogether Too Likable, it is basically the first chapter from Luke's POV with more background and angst.Luke has been captured by the nasty bounty hunter Bossc Blackscale along with small Twilek child Nia, who was used as a hostage.Now he's about to enter Imperial custody and he meets the most peculiar Imperial.Please read the warnings in the tags!





	Firmus Piett Is Altogether Too Likable

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Luke Skywalker Is Altogether Too Likable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14477958) by [Mokulule](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mokulule/pseuds/Mokulule). 



> PLEASE READ  
> There is some pretty graphic torture and child abuse in the beginning bit, it serves the purpose of showing just how much Bossc Blackscale is a despicable creature and develops Luke and Nia's relationship, it can be skipped by going to the first divider like this -> Oo o oO
> 
> Otherwise have fun with this alternate POV, I've tried to make it add something different to the story.
> 
> Many thanks to my Luke and Vader support group, you know who you are <3

Luke breathed slowly and carefully, his every breath a struggle. A low level of electricity sent constant pain throughout his body, making moving a fight against trembling muscles. The one positive was that it distracted him from the inflamed cuts the bounty hunter had amused himself with by cutting into his skin. 

This, Luke would admit, had not been his brightest idea.

He had not felt much choice in the matter though. There was no way he could justify the death of an entire family over his own safety. So he’d given himself up to the bounty hunter. 

Bossc Blackscale, known for his cruel nature, had of course not kept to his end of the bargain, bringing the poor girl Nia along. The slave collar had been another thing Luke hadn’t accounted for. It was the collar who delivered the electricity and it was another way Bossc made sure escape was impossible.

Luke and Nia were left alone, for hours at a time, with very little food and water. They would talk then. Nia only spoke Ryl, but then Luke had an opportunity to practice. He had to talk to the scared girl. He couldn’t help himself, but he carefully avoided saying they would be all right. He simply didn’t know at this point. At least he could offer her small laughs with his atrocious accent.

The rest of the time, Bossc amused himself on the long hyperspace journey by making Luke scream. The collar was a definite favorite, as the shock intensity could be turned up, but he also considered himself somewhat of an artist, carving patterns into Luke’s skin with his favored vibroblade. 

He had noticed Nia watching, with frightened eyes, and called the girl over. When she didn’t immediately come, he thundered, his voice like a whip and she crossed the room, hunched as tiny as she could get.

“Yous have a go,” he told her and put the blade in the child’s hand. Her eyes were wide and her breath short. She glanced rapidly, panicky, from the blade to Luke to Bossc and back. Bossc bodily turned her to face Luke chained to the floor, his scaly hands heavy on her shoulders. 

“Now.”

Luke met her eyes calmly. “ _It’s okay,_ ” he told her in Ryl, earning a kick to his stomach. 

“Ssilence!” Bossc turned his attention back to Nia, claws tightening on her thin shoulders. “Now girl!”

She desperately shook her head, her lekku twitching in agitation. Bossc hissed in her ear and took ahold of her hand on top of the blade guiding it to the thin skin above Luke’s collarbone. It took only the slightest pressure to draw blood. Luke gritted his teeth sucking in air. He could see the way it amused Bossc, he knew very well what he was doing to Nia, knew Luke would push himself not to traumatize the poor girl more than she already was. 

In this moment Luke hated him with a passion. If it wasn’t for the cursed collar, Luke would… He took a deep shuddering breath, reigning in his anger. It was useless anyway. 

Bossc drew a burning line downwards over his right pectoral. “Here yous can push harder girl, it’ss just musscle, nothing important.”

“It’s fine, Nia,” he tried and Bossc stabbed the blade point first into the muscle glancing his ribcage. Then he twisted the blade and Luke couldn’t help his whimper.

“I thought I told yous to sstay ssilent.”

Tears rolled silently down Nia’s cheeks, she dared not make a sound. 

Eventually Bossc tired of his game. He pulled the knife from the small fingers and left them. Luke had done his best to comfort her, but bound as he was he only had his voice. He talked of inane subjects like moisture farming and flying through Beggar’s canyon, until she calmed. 

Nia was quieter after that.

 

Oo o oO

 

They felt it when the ship exited hyperspace. Luke took a deep breath, tried to focus, but the electricity still made it impossible to focus on the force. He didn’t like the uncertainty of not knowing. He could be moments away from another confrontation with Vader, his _father_ , and he wouldn’t know it. He hunched closer on himself. He was cold and exhausted. He felt feverish and his stomach protested nauseously. 

Would he try to persuade him to join him again? This time Luke had no options, no convenient shaft to fall into. He would not join the dark side. He clenched his eyes shut tightly, he would not become what his father had become, he would not allow the vision in the cave to come true. He would rather die, “allow himself to be destroyed like Obi-Wan” as Vader had put it. 

It hurt in his chest unrelated to the constant physical pain. He blinked rapidly, not about to waste precious water on tears. He had longed for a father to sweep him up all his life. His father, his hero, his nightmare, his death. 

He didn’t know how long it was before the ship set down and the engine cut off. It wouldn’t be long now, any minute now. He could do nothing but lie here shaking, pained and curled on the dirty floor, awaiting whatever fate had in store for him. 

The doors slid open. He listened urgently, didn’t know whether to feel disappointed or relieved when there was no haunting regular khaa-hiss to greet him. The glaring overhead lights came on and Luke closed his eyes tight. Nia gave off a frightened noise, before her small feet sounded on the floor, and Luke knew she’d hidden. 

Slow measured footsteps reverberated through the grated floor, not heavy enough to be Bossc, and there was no accompanying scrape of claws. The footsteps stopped near his head. There was a moment of nothing, then he heard a long exhale not quite a sigh, but close. A humanoid hand touched his chin surprisingly gently and he assisted in tilting his head backwards. He opened his eyes, to meet surprised hazel eyes in the otherwise serious face of an Imperial officer crouched over him. 

The man’s breath hitched slightly; He obviously recognized who Luke was. The officer’s face settled into an impenetrable impassive mask. Luke automatically reached for the Force to read him, but he was no more able to gain any proper hold than he was before. 

Luke closed his eyes and tucked his head back against his chest, the imperial’s hand fell away with no resistance. His father might not even be here, this could be any random outpost. It could be weeks before Vader would get him. He wondered morbidly if with enough exposure to the collar, he would get so used to it he could use the force.

“What is the purpose of this?” The Imperial’s voice was clipped and to the point, there was a note of distaste, but that didn’t meant anything in Luke’s experience with Imperials. They seemed constantly be in a state of general disdain.

Bossc chuckled, “Low electric current. Keepss him from doing any of hiss little trickss.” 

Even with eyes closed and across the room Luke could feel the bounty hunter grinning. With a sense of dread in his stomach, he knew what that meant. He couldn’t help but turn to look, to confirm what he already knew: the remote in Bossc’s clawed hand. Luke sighed. 

Bossc pressed the remote. Pain sparked from the collar. His convulsing limbs were pure agony.His vision turned into starbursts. He didn’t, he couldn’t, he screamed. 

Darkness, terrible in its familiarity, turned it’s chilling attention onto him, brushing his mind. He recoiled.

It was over as soon as it had begun. He stared sightlessly into the air. His limbs jerking every now and then, but he didn’t comprehend it, his mind was at once completely still and flying and lightspeed. He felt off, no longer apart of himself. Only one thing was sure. His father was not halfway across the galaxy. He was here, he was close…

“He heard that,” he rasped through dry lips, “he’s coming…” 

Nia screamed. It was a shock to Luke’s system, plummeting him back into himself. He looked to see Bossc holding Nia easily off the ground, her thin limbs flailing futilely. Luke gritted his teeth. Angry words curled up and died in his throat. Luke seethed, hated that the lizard had managed to train such a response in him. Speaking would only invite punishment. He was powerless, defanged by the collar. 

Movement to the side caught his attention, the imperial officer got to his feet. 

“And what is that,” he demanded. The snap to his voice told Luke this was a man used to being obeyed. If Luke didn’t know better, he would say the Imperial was angry. 

Bossc didn’t notice anything amiss.

“Thiss little thing?” He grinned, mightily proud of himself, tossing Nia harshly to the ground. “Thiss little thing and itss family got me Skywalker. You see they are all alike all thesse hero typess, the right leverage and they will ssurrender themselvess.”

This was not the first time, Bossc had mocked Luke, at this point it didn’t touch him. There was no way he could have acted differently and lived with himself. He was more interested in the very still Imperial.

“And why do you still have the girl then?”

“Inssurance of the _hero’s_ continued compliance of coursse.” Bossc chuckled gruesomely. “And now that you’re going to take him off my handss, thisss one-” He nudged Nia with his foot from where she was curled on the ground, “-will fetch a nice price. Shtill young enough for training.”

It was only because Luke was looking he saw the way the officer deliberately relaxed to seem less threatening. “I see. Well then, lets handle your payment, shall we? After you,” he courteously indicated the door, “I’m afraid I would get lost if I had to lead.”

Luke didn’t need the force to tell that last part was blatantly untrue. Bossc, settled in his superiority over the diminutive human, took everything at face value. 

They left and Nia came crawling over. She brushed hair out of Luke’s face. He smiled slightly to tell her he was okay. He couldn’t bear to lie with words. He suspected she knew anyway. Neither of them were okay. 

He opened a hand and moved the trembling limb as far towards her as it could with the chains. She gratefully put her smaller hand in his and he closed his fingers gently around hers.

“It will be over soon,” he rasped. Her lilac eyes looked too old in her young face as she meet his gaze calmly and nodded. 

One way or another it would soon be over.

 

Oo o oO

 

The officer returned without Bossc, which was an interesting development. Nia had hid away again at the first sign of the doors opening. Luke got a good look at the officer’s clean black military boots as he stood studying him. 

Luke wondered what he thought of his pitiful state. His previous altercations with Imperials had taught him never to expect compassion. His experience was proven correct when the officer pulled out the remote to his collar. Luke stared silently at the impassive face of the officer. He played around with the remote, keeping him on edge with the promise of pain, instead of just pushing the cursed button. 

Finally the Imperial sighed. Luke frowned in slight confusion and when the remote was pushed no pain came. Instead the collar released and fell to the floor with a clatter. Luke muscles still cramped every now and then, but he could reach out with his mind, the force eagerly responding, filling him with calm and easing his pain. He took a moment just to breathe, feeling the flow of the force, deliberatedly ignoring the incoming darkness. Then he leveled a searching look at the officer. A look the officer stubbornly returned.

Now with no constant current of electricity distracting him, he more quickly took the man in. He really wasn’t tall, probably about Luke’s height. He was severe looking all right, around middle age, hazel eyes, short military cut brown hair, impeccable army-green uniform. He noticed the rank plaque and suddenly knew who this was: Admiral Firmus Piett, promoted from Captain up to Admiral after the battle of Hoth by Vader himself. There were all kinds of rumors going around in the Alliance about what he must have done to manage such a promotion. What he’d seen so far just didn’t fit the ruthless, cold Imperial, Luke would have expected. In fact you would expect someone, who knew what his father could do, not to take a Force-user lightly. Releasing him from the collar spoke of either stupidity or _morals._

The Admiral crossed his arms. “Are you going to escape now?”

Luke chuckled in a mixture of amusement and sheer disbelief; _morals_ , it was actually morals! “You mean, can I open chains and locked doors with the wave of my hand?” He looked up through dirty bangs, with a small smile, amused at the slight worried frown breaking the impassive facade. 

“Yes,” Luke answered his own question. He was starting to realize the admiral was very good at appearing unaffected outward, but his sudden fear was clear in the force.

A tremor rippled through Luke’s body as he struggled into a sitting position. He groaned from the sheer effort and decided to alleviate the Admiral’s fears:

“I’m afraid though, I’m not going anywhere right now. I don’t think I can _walk_ , much less run. You got me Admiral… Thanks for the…” He waved at the collar, he was truly grateful. Confused, because kindness from an Imperial officer was something he’d never experienced before, but very grateful.

The Admiral nodded curtly. He watched him with a sharp gaze as he rolled his shoulders and tested what he could of his range of motion while still shackled. 

He felt Nia as a bright spark of curiosity, but didn’t want to draw attention to her by looking. Eventually the Admiral did notice.

“It’s alright,” he called out softly, when Nia immediately hid away. “I’ll make sure you get home.”

Luke looked up sharply. 

“Do you mean that?” He asked urgently, something like hope igniting in his chest, maybe he hadn’t thrown away his life for naught.

The Admiral had the gall to look at him with affront, as if Imperials had ever offered Luke anything but indifference at best and violence at worse (or the galaxy at his feet, a small voice whispered at the back of his head, which was promptly ignored as his prosthetic hand throbbed in memory).

“Yes, on my honor,” the Admiral answered his question. He seemed sincere, but Luke still reached out with the force to judge his trustworthiness. When he found no signs of duplicity, he called to Nia in Ryl.

“ _It’s alright,_ Nia _. He really intends to get you home.”_

She carefully made her way over.

“What did you tell her?”

“That you would get her home.”  


“She doesn’t understand Basic at all?”

Luke raised an amused eyebrow. “Oh she does understand it, but she trusts _me._ Her name is Nia.”

Nia reached him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

_“I don’t wanna go without you,”_ she whispered, her lips wobbly. Luke wished he could have hugged her in return, but settled for setting his head on her shoulder and leaning his head on hers.

_“You have to, you have to be brave just a bit longer.”_

_“What about you?”_ She sniffled. 

_“I’m going to be fine.”_

_“Liar…”_ She drew back, looked at him with lilac eyes that saw more than he wanted. _“I will always remember.”_

Luke swallowed thickly. _“Thank you.”_

She nodded. Then turned around a walked up to the Admiral reaching out a hand, which he took after only a moment and lead her out. 

Luke was truly alone now. He drew the force tight around himself for comfort, and waited. It was true what he’d said to the Admiral, loosing the chains was the least of his problems, he doubted his legs would carry him. Crawling wasn’t a viable escape option, but even if it was, he found himself strangely reluctant to cause trouble for the admiral. Luke had been at his mercy and not only had he not abused his power, he’d knowingly put himself at a disadvantage against a known Force-user, knowing that his life would be forfeit should Luke escape.

He was baffled that someone with basic decency could exist this high within the frames of the oppressive Empire. He was forced to reexamine previous interactions, but even as he turned his memories around trying to see them from an Imperial point of view all he remembered were spiteful officers, who cared neither for civilians or their own underlings. 

Did it say something about his father that he’d promoted a man like Firmus Piett to command his personal fleet?

The Admiral returned bearing a medpack. At some point surely the Admiral would stop surprising him. He watched him curiously as he went down to one knee in front of him, and with a meticulous effectiveness he opened the medpack and went through it’s contents, putting aside disinfectant, bacta gel and opening packages of clear white rolls of bandages.

The Admiral eyed the red inflamed and oozing wounds from Bossc’s fun with a downward turn of his lips. The man really seemed to hate all things dirty and disorganized, which was the most Imperial behavior Luke had seen of him so far. So it was rather amusing that he’d lower him himself to treating the wounds of a rebel prisoner. With a quick glance at Luke’s face, that felt like a warning and apology in one, he started cleaning the wounds with the disinfectant. Luke held back a hiss from the way the alcohol burned. 

Luke had nothing to do but grit his teeth and study the Admiral, as he carefully tended his wounds. He got the overall feeling from him, that he didn’t trust anyone else to keep an eye on Luke. He was devoted to his job… to Vader.

“You are very loyal,” he couldn’t help but comment. The Admiral sputtered and stared, but Luke was too deep in his own thoughts to find amusement from that. He closed his eyes. Loyalty to his father, it was a disturbing thought, everything logical in him rebelled at the notion, but something softer in him warmed.

“I’m glad he has someone like you.”

He ignored the baffled look the Admiral sent him and focused on drawing calm and serenity from the Force. It would not do to dwell on his father.

“Why did you join the rebellion?”

Luke looked at the Admiral searchingly. He found nothing but genuine curiosity. He didn’t see how the information could harm him, at this point they were dead anyway.

“My uncle bought a couple of droids, one of them happened to hold the plans to the Death Star. None of us had any ties to the rebellion and yet my aunt and uncle where killed. I didn’t have anything left. I wanted revenge.”

The Admiral frowned slightly. 

“You mean you weren’t part of the rebellion before that?”

Luke couldn’t help but chuckle at that, looking back on how young and inexperienced he’d been. “I’d never flown a real star fighter before that battle over Yavin. I was a moisture farmer.”

The Admiral stared, and then he kept staring.

Luke snorted, “You’re looking like I’d never flown anything. I had a Skyhopper, the controls were similar enough. It’s not that big a deal.”

It really wasn’t that big of a deal, but still the Admiral’s jaw went slack. Flying had always come natural to Luke, like it was what he was born to do. The Force had always been with him even when he had no words for it yet. 

“No wonder Lord Vader wants to kill you himself.”

The words were said absently, but they felt like a kick to the gut. Luke fought for breath as his calm was ripped to pieces, leaving only cold fear in its place. All Luke’s insecurities brought forth. He rubbed his throbbing prosthetic hand, he could feel the cold wind on his sweaty skin as he clung desperately to life over a deathly drop on Bespin. The moment his entire world was torn apart. 

“I…” Luke took a deep breath, desperately fighting for calm in the storm. “He doesn’t want to kill me, I don’t think so. I think he still wants me to join him,” he reminded himself, as much as he explained to the Admiral, but still the words “don’t let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did” rattled around in his brain. Luke refused the dark side. He would continue to refuse! He didn’t want to die, but he wouldn’t, he couldn’t. Why didn’t Ben tell him the truth? He needed something to focus on, anything but the spiraling emotions.

“Would you…” Luke spoke voice dry, and he swallowed before continuing, “Would you tell me what he’s like? To work with?

The Admiral looked baffled. “Are you considering switching sides?”

_Never!_ Luke clenched his jaw and glared stubbornly. The Admiral looked away and continued his abandoned work, wrapping Luke up in bandages. He was obviously mulling over Luke’s request, and so he let him consider. Luke focused instead on the way steady hands tightened the bandages carefully around his chest, tight but not too tight.

The Admiral took a breath as if about to say something, then closed his mouth again, as if he didn’t know where to start.

“Most officers hate him, though the troopers love him,” he finally settled on. There was definite approval in his voice as he continued: “Lord Vader, most of all requires competence, he cares not for your family connections or lack thereof, if you’re skilled you will rise through the ranks, if not…” He paused, grimaced slightly. “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard of that.”

Luke watched him intently, amazed. Aside from the slight discomfort at the mention of what Vader did to those who displeased him, that had been overwhelmingly positive.

“You admire him,” Luke realized.

“I do,” the Admiral admitted calmly, his hazel eyes met Luke’s unashamedly. Luke could not imagine this logical man not to be aware of the atrocities Vader had committed, and yet the admiration was undeniably real. He didn’t know how to fit that with the man whose morals had led him to show kindness to a prisoner. The Admiral was an enigma.

“Lord Vader is a tactical genius, an army onto himself,” he elaborated, but that didn’t quite feel right to Luke.

“That’s not why you admire him though,” Luke returned dryly.

The Admiral huffed through his nose, moving the bandage roll over Luke’s left shoulder a couple of times to better fasten the bandage.

“I’m from Axxila,” the Admiral finally said, “I started my career in the security forces hunting pirates and slavers, who would then most likely be released again once credits hit the right pockets, depending on their connections to the crime cartels.”

Luke grimaced, it was a system he was only too familiar with, being from the Outer Rim himself. Nobody cared about the people on the Rim.

“And that would likely have been where I’d stayed, had it not been for Lord Vader. I would certainly never have risen to the rank of Admiral anywhere else in the Navy.”

The Admiral paused.

“Lord Vader cares not for rank or connections, he will cut down opposition. Credits hold no sway over him. He will fight side by side with his men. He is a reasonable leader except…” the Admiral closed his mouth suddenly and Luke knew exactly what he’d been about to say.

“Except when it comes to me,” Luke finished with finality. Even the Rebellion had heard of Vader’s mad search for Luke Skywalker and some of the questionable decisions made. There had been jokes made, that Vader would eventually dispose of the entire Imperial Navy himself in his search for Luke. 

They fell silent. The Admiral continued his self-imposed task of treating Luke’s wounds, and Luke who’d calmed enough from talking could finally reach the Force. He closed his eyes, traded the previous turmoil to the Force for calm and serenity. 

“Are you compelling me to speak with you?”

Luke startled and opened his eyes, he didn’t know where that had come from.

“No? I’m merely meditating.” He had a sudden thought. “Are you… Force-sensitive?”

“No…” The Admirals answer was a bit drawn out, like he’d never even considered it.

Luke looked intently at the Admiral as he drew on the Force, this time he purposefully blanketed them in calm and tranquility. The Admiral instantly relaxed the slightest bit. He certainly wasn’t completely Force blind, not if he’d noticed something was happening. Force blind individuals could still be effected by the Force, but they had no way of telling what was happening. Luke quirked his lips in a small crooked smile.

“Well, you are something.” 

The Admiral shook his head. Luke let it lie and went back to meditating. Slowly his surroundings fell away to the bright galaxy around him. Instinctively he looked for the black dense mass of anger that was his father. He was no longer on the planet below them. He was-

Luke gasped.

“He’s here.”

Luke stared unseeingly towards the door, not seeing the physical but rather the steadily approaching mass of darkness. Fear coiled in his stomach. His heartbeat like a rush of a sandstorm in his ears. His instinct screamed at him to run and hide, but still there was this small traitorous part of his heart longing for the father he never had, and it hurt being so torn.

Absently he heard the Admiral was talking, “-won’t be here for several hours yet. I plan to have you moved before then.”

Luke shook his head absently, focused on the steadily approaching presence radiating angry impatience. “No, he’s here now. I can feel him…”

He reached out and dark force tendrils instantly reached for him in return, anger, and underneath that urgency and worry, met him before he recoiled shakily. It was getting steadily colder. Dressed mostly in bandages as he was, he shuddered from the drop in temperature. Every hair on his body stood on end. He clenched his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. Who was he kidding? He was like a frightened child. 

The doors opened, and out the corner of his eyes he saw the Admiral jump to his feet to meet Vader, but it was an afterthought. Luke could not tear his eyes away from the towering sith lord. When Luke had fought him on Bespin he had not seemed so huge, but from his position, kneeling and chained to the floor Luke felt very small. 

Vader stopped only a step away from him and tilted his masked face down to meet his eyes. Luke refused to back down steadily holding his impenetrable gaze. It was like a terrible game of who would blink first; the loser would have to figure out what to say to their estranged family from the other side. Luke felt something like a sigh from Vader.

“Luke…”

The word was impossibly loaded, enough to break the bantha’s back, but it just wasn’t good enough. Luke quirked a cocky smile. It stretched his bruises painfully,but it worked to hide the deeper wounds perfectly. He didn’t care anymore. He was tired of dancing around this. 

“Father,” he challenged, stubborn tilt to his chin. 

There was a moments pause as Vader digested that.

“You have accepted the truth then, son.”

Luke didn’t allow him to say more, spitting angrily: “I have accepted the fact that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father.”

“That name no longer holds any meaning to me,” Vader’s voice rumbled like distant thunder, a warning before the storm.

“Then how can you claim to be my father. _My_ father is Anakin Skywalker!”

Black leather gloves creaked ominously as they tensed into fists. Anger built like a shroud of crackling pitch black around him. He was furious. Luke’s breath hitched, but he stubbornly held on. He expected a blow, but instead his father turned to the Admiral.

“Who knows Skywalker’s on board?” He demanded. Luke grit his teeth so they were back to that. 

No response came from the Admiral and Luke turned to look at him. He was standing utterly still, eyes slightly wide. His shock was very apparent in the force. Despite himself he felt a small curl of amusement, he could tell his father was also slightly amused, from the way he’d calmed down. The Admiral blinked suddenly and looked up at them.

“Yes, Sir?” He stood at attention.

“As I said,” Vader drawled slowly to point out his embarrassing lack of attention, “who knows Skywalker’s on board?”

The response came promptly.

“Me sir, and the bounty hunter in the brig. I took the transmission personally and decided I couldn’t delegate. The troopers weren’t aware who the bounty hunter was carrying nor were they here.”

Luke could see why he’d promoted the man to Admiral, he recovered remarkably well.

His face paled suddenly and Luke looked on in confusion as he straightened further, keeping his face carefully blank.

“It was an honor to serve under you, My Lord.”

Luke suddenly realized the admiral thought his father would eliminate him as a witness. Luke’s jaw dropped and he looked from his father to the Admiral and back again. No immediate rebuttal came from his father. With horror Luke realized murdering him was exactly what he planned to do, his hand raising from where it had been at his side. The force gathered.

Horror turned to outrage.

Luke turned inwards and _yanked_ on the connection that kept him chained to this fool of a father.

_“What are-“_ Vader turned to him, anger rising, but Luke cut off whatever he’d been about to say.

_“You will not kill the Admiral!”_ Luke yelled mentally.

_“He is a threat to your safety,”_ Vader simply returned.

_“That man is utterly devoted to you, he is no more threat to me than you are!”_

Both of them flinched internally as his words hit too close to home. Luke sighed, trying for calm and reasonable.

_“Please, you don’t have to kill him…”_

There was a moment of consideration. His father was utterly blank to him.

“At rest, Admiral.” Vader finally said and Luke’s shoulders slumped in relief. 

_“Don’t think to make a habit of this, it will not work,”_ Vader warned him over their bond. Luke thought to himself it only worked because his father actually liked or at least respected the Admiral.

“My Lord?” The Admiral questioned weakly. He clearly didn’t understand that he was still alive.

Vader pointed at Piett, menace growing around him once more like a physical shroud to Luke’s senses. “If you so much as breathe a word about this to a single soul you will regret ever being born.”

Luke rolled his eyes at the unnecessary threat. Yet somehow Admiral Piett seemed to relax, color returned to his face and he stood at attention. 

“Yes sir.” 

Luke’s mouth dropped open. He was baffled at the contradictory reaction. He relaxed from a threat? What was wrong with the Admiral? Luke was about to say something to that extent, when Vader rounded on him a finger pointed right in his face.

“And you! If I didn’t know better, I would say you wanted to be here. Why have you not escaped?” His father’s tone was accusatory and Luke was taken off guard.

“I certainly didn’t mean to come here!” Luke protested, automatically defending himself, “Bossc was about to slaughter an entire family if I didn’t give myself up. I had planned to escape, but he was better prepared…” Luke’s mind went to the collar discarded on the floor, phantom pain shooting through his body. “I figured,” his breath hitched, “I _hoped_ that even if I didn’t manage to escape on the way, you wouldn’t kill me on sight.”

“Luke…” A thousand words went unsaid.

Luke shook his head.The chains unlocked with a twist of the Force and he struggled onto legs that trembled with effort and pain. He didn’t get to ‘ _Luke_ ’ him as if he was sad Luke would think that. He glared at his father.

“Join me or be destroyed,” he spat, accusation covering grief. “Didn’t exactly leave much room for interpretation.”

There was the barest movement of his father’s mask, he was no longer meeting his gaze, but Luke didn’t need more because he could feel the recoil in the Force. His mouth was a grim satisfied line.

“Nothing has changed, I will not turn to the dark side.” _You will have to kill me,_ went unsaid, the dare implicit in his words. Luke breathed deeply, anger warm in his chest. 

“I know…” 

Luke couldn’t believe he’d heard correctly, but he had. Instantly the anger fizzled out with nothing to fight. His shoulders fell in confused defeat. So his father would not try to convince him again. 

“But then, now what?” Uncertainty trembled in his voice. He hated how small he felt.

“I must obey my Master…”  


Luke hung his head, the words crushing. Then his father truly was dead. He had known that already. Why then was he so disappointed? Tears burned in his eyes and he closed them tightly. 

A hand settled carefully, gently on his shoulder.

“Fortunately,” his father continued in a low voice, “he doesn’t know you’re here.”

Luke’s head snapped up. Terrifying, dizzying _hope_ lit up in his chest. He barely dared to breathe, lest he disturb the illusion.

The hand on his shoulder tightened momentarily, grounding him, telling him this was **real**.

**Author's Note:**

> This is marked complete as I don't know if I will get around to adding more of Luke's POV, the main story is still the Piett POV one.


End file.
